In the first day of EuroLeague Round 29, Maodo Lo had the biggest night of his career to lead ALBA Berlin to a surprising 90-75 victory over Olympiacos.
ALBA showed great composure in the last four games, where they claimed four wins in the last four EuroLeague matchups. They have won five of their last six games in the competition.
Their defense was sturdy against the pick n’ roll offense of Olympiacos as the German club set out to approach the game with a “change everything” tactics, especially in pick’n roll plays. As a result, Olympiacos shot just 26.7 percent from beyond the arc.
ALBA stopped Moustapha Fall from taking advantage of his size with constant double-teams, and even “take” fouls. Fall only stayed on the court for 16 minutes, and he had four fouls and just eight points.
While ALBA’s defensive plan was clear, the Germans would have to find an offensive staple against Olympiacos’ great defense, which ranks among the best in the competition.
The Berliners found their answer in Maodo Lo’s performance. The veteran guard put up an outstanding game with 27 points. Lo made five of his team’s 13 threes, shooting 83 percent from beyond the arc, while he added five rebounds and seven assists in the process.
The veteran combo guard was unstoppable as ALBA found its rhythm to shot 23 of 37 from 2-point range and 13 of 21 from deep. Seven different players made at least one three-point shot, and no one missed more than 3 attempts.
“Maodo Lo had some really good games, so I don’t know if this is his best game. But for sure his percentages are unbelievable. 83% on twos and threes, 100% free throws.
That’s a lot. I am very happy for him. He is a great guy, he is working hard and he is adapting well to the things we are doing,” ALBA head coach Israel Gonzalez said after the game.
Gabriel Deck leads Real Madrid to crucial victory in EuroLeague Round 29
Real Madrid was having the toughest stretch of the season prior to the game against Armani Milano. The ”Los Blancos” had eight defeats in a row in all competitions after Crvena Zvezda added to their misery Tuesday night in a EuroLeague makeup game.
Real needed the 92-88 win against Milan in Round 29. While Sergio Llull and Guerschon Yabusele had a remarkable game for Madrid, the story of the contest should be Gabriel Deck.
Deck has played his fourth EuroLeague game with Real playing an important role on Thursday’s victory.
The Argentinian forward, who spent the first part of the season with the OKC Thunder, had a PIR of 22, which was a team high for the Spanish giants. It was his best performance in a while, as he’s working his way to return to top form, especially after playing sporadically during his time in OKC.
Deck finished with 15 points, six rebounds and one assist, while he shot a perfect six-of-six from the two-point range. He also had one steal and three made free-throws.
The veteran forward had only scored 13 points during the first three games back in EuroLeague. Founding his role and his groove will help Madrid add another downright two-way forward in its roster.
“It was an important win, mentally speaking. I think we came from a bad streak for us. We had to improve on our home court against a great team, so we are happy with the victory,” Deck said after the game.
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